16pc women work in BD ICT sector

Bangladesh has a 16-per cent female workforce in the fast-growing ICT (information and communications technology) sector, according to a new study.
The male-female ratio in the sector is 5:1, revealed the country's first ICT job market study.
Daffodil International University conducted the study titled 'Survey on ICT job market in Bangladesh'.
The report published on Wednesday also found that data administrator, programming, project management, IT sales and marketing, and web development are the five jobs in great demand.
However, the lowest supplies in the sector against the market demand are web development, IT research and development, solution and architect, technical writing and digital media or animator.
According to the study, some 44.31 per cent in the sector are undergraduates and 37.79 per cent are postgraduates of the total ICT workforce.
State minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak unveiled the report at an event on the university campus in the capital.
Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority managing director Hosne Ara Begum and Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Accelerates executive director Susan Amat were also present.
Mr Palak said it is unfortunate that the percentage of women in the ICT workforce is very low in Bangladesh which is not lagging behind in global trends.
The government has set a target to increase human resources, especially for women, in ICT, he added.
"Currently, there are about a million ICT-related workforce in the country and our target is to add another two million by 2021."
The junior minister said the government is considering leaving one floor at all hi-tech parks for start-ups without rent.
Mr Palak said his government has initiated to establish a 'Virtual University of Multimedia and Innovation'.
The survey was done from January to September in 2018, interviewing 384 local ICT organisations.
It showed 39.97 per cent ICT managers got jobs through online job portals, 19.41 per cent through contacting companies' websites and 6.39 per cent through educational institutions.
Md Sabur Khan, chairman of Daffodil International University, spoke in the event where professors and students were also present.
He said this survey would help the universities redesign their course curricula.
The findings would help the government as well, Mr Khan observed.
He further said that Daffodil University is actively trying to build skilled human resources according to the job market and global perspective.

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